Brett Ratner has sealed an overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV. Rat TV has also signed president Martha Haight to a two-year term.
Ratner, according to Variety, is looking to build a small-screen division in the manner of Jerry Bruckheimer or Brian Grazer. “Most TV shows now are better than a lot of features. It’s a great medium to explore and experiment. I can try things that I wouldn’t try on a feature,” Ratner said.
He’s such a prolific guy,” said 20th exec VP Jennifer Nicholson Salke. “We’ve had a five-year love affair with him. More than anything, we love his enthusiasm and his ability to find talent. He has an affinity for pop culture and everything about it.”
Rat TV’s projects in the works include Chaos, a drama set up at CBS, that takes a satirical look at the world of the CIA.
At Fox, William Blake Herron has created The Devil and Daniel Webster, a fresh take on the Stephen Vincent Benet short story and Faust tale. And at TNT, Sean Jablonski is behind spec script The Dead Beat, a buddy cop drama.
“I’m looking for great characters,” said Ratner, who is onboard to direct much of his scripted development. “And that’s what attracts the better actors…I like to keep honing my skills as a director, and we’ve collaborated with some great writers.”
Rat TV is also behind reality scavenger-hunt project The Lost Weekend and is pitching an adventure food show to cable nets.
